1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to solar rechargeable lights.
2. Related Art
Yard and walkway lights are well known for providing illumination of sidewalks, driveways, yards, and so forth. These lights typically are powered through underground wiring or gas supply. To eliminate the need for such underground power supply, solar powered lights have been used which can be selectively placed irrespective of underground power supplies, as long as there is sufficient illumination of the solar panel to charge a battery sufficiently to power the light when darkness sets in.
Such solar powered lights typically have been mounted on posts stuck in the ground and have had the light bulb placed on the bottom of the housing of the solar light. The solar panel for the light sloped downward on a side of the housing from the top of the housing to the bottom. With this arrangement, however, placement of the light in the desired location for optimum illumination of a selected area necessarily determined the orientation of the sloped solar panel. On the other hand, if the light was positioned so as to optimize collection of solar rays in the solar panel, the selected area for illumination was not always properly lighted. There has been a need, therefore, for a solar powered light wherein the orientation of the light is independent of the orientation of the solar panel.
Prior solar powered lights were rigidly fixed to the standard or post on which the light housing was mounted. As a result, the light source always pointed down to illuminate the ground underneath the light. The light would illuminate a circular area centered around the solar powered light. The rigid structure of the light did not allow reorientation of the light to illuminate a different area. There also has been, therefore, a need for a solar powered light which can be adjusted for illuminating any number of selected areas from the same location.
Prior solar lights were placed in the ground merely by sticking the support stake in the ground. Whenever the surrounding area was to be mowed or cleaned, the light would be left in place, in which case it could be hit or bumped and possibly damaged or the area next to the stake could not be adequately maintained, or the stake could be removed from the ground. If the stake were removed from the ground, the hole is often widened through the action of withdrawing and replacing the stake, making the repositioning of the light unstable. Therefore, there has been a further need for a solar powered light which can be placed in the ground and repeatedly removed to allow mowing or cleaning in the surrounding area without loosening the surrounding soil with repeated removal of the stake.